


Love Tangled In Tragedy

by BlueFishyLove



Category: GOT7
Genre: Adopted Children, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cancer, Leukemia, M/M, Not Beta Read, Proof Read Only, Tumor, anything medical - freeform, anything scientific - freeform, but whats new, i fixed it guys i promise, i suck at slow burn apparently, im jackbum trash, sadness au, scientists - Freeform, youngjae briefly mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 13:59:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16160342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueFishyLove/pseuds/BlueFishyLove
Summary: Love will always find a way to win and thrive.  Fate sometimes gives a little helping hand too.





	Love Tangled In Tragedy

**Author's Note:**

> this all started from Jaebum's meme pick where it says [begins to photosynthesis]   
> don't ask...

“Imagine a universe in which technology is far ahead, most uncured diseases now have a cure and that the death rate of people, at least in middle class has reduced to 75%” a young male says to a group of young children gathered around his bed.   
  
“But isn’t this our universe?” a small voice asks and the young male turns his eyes to look at the child, which has raised its hand as it spoke.   
  
He smiles.   
  
“Yes Gyeomie~ That is our universe. Our technology has improved so much and so many people can live their lives not fearing death” the male says excitedly and the child smiles excitedly back at him.   
  
“But if it exists then we don’t need to imagine it” another voice says. It belongs to a short boy with a black mushroom haircut, he has some bandages around his left eye, the older notes.   
  
“True” the male on the bed pouts.   
  
“Ah! Kookie! You made Seunnie hyung pout!” the child from before slaps the mushroom head child’s arm.   
  
“Yugyeomie! Don’t hit other children! We’ve talked about this!” the male on the bed scolds.   
  
“If most diseases are cured, how come we are still in here?” a girl’s voice interrupts the small commotion in the room and grabs everyone’s attention.   
  
The young man smiles again but the curves don’t reach his eyes. It’s a sad smile.   
  
“We are in the rare few cases that people still haven’t find a cure for our diseases, sweetheart” he explains as he pats a space on the bed near his legs for the girl to come closer.   
  
The child is more than excited to hop up the bed and into the young man’s arms for a warm hug. The first child from before puff his cheeks and as soon as the young man notices he waves his hand for the rest to come on the bed too. Yugyeom is more that happy to comply.   
  
“What’s your disease, Jackson hyung?” the mushroom head child asks from the foot of the bed. He joined their little hospital company late that week and he still didn’t feel he belonged between them, not like Yugyeom and Tzuyu did.   
  
“That’s a story for next time Jungkookie~” Jackson, the young male, says and Jungkook tsks as he turns his head to the side, not liking the answer he receives.   
  
“But don’t worry guys! I have friends and family that are geniuses and will soon find the cures for everything!” Jackson says excitedly, trying to lift everyone’s spirits.   
  
“I don’t believe you” Jungkook says and rolls his visible eye. “You are just saying bed time stories” there is bite in his words. Jackson understands, someone has promised this child health before and he has not yet received any, its understandable to not be trusting.   
  
Yugyeom raises his hand to hit the other child again but Jackson catches it and frowns at the child. Yugyeom for his part proceeds with making puppy eyes. They don’t work and he puffs his cheeks to try get more cute and ‘guilty’, begging for forgiveness. It still doesn’t work.   
  
“You having trouble with the kids?” a voice calls from the door of the room and Jackson turns to look at Kunpimook, standing there, a bright smile on his lips.   
  
“Hey!” Jackson smiles excitedly and points at the younger male with his free hand “He is my proof! My family is awesome! His brother gave him a robotic arm!” he explains and softly jumps up and down in his bed, shaking Tzuyu and Yugyeom with him. Jungkook turns to look at the new figure at the doorway.   
  
“He doesn’t seem to have anything robotic on him, even though he is too thin for a human” the child spits the words in disbelief.   
  
Kunpimook chuckles from the door.   
  
“I’m hurt you use me like an example, like I’m some item Jackson” he strokes a drama pose. He can clearly hear Yugyeom and Jackson laughing at him and his antics, while Tzuyu claps at his artistic skills of theater.   
  
“It’s true, young man” he continues, taking a couple of steps before reaching right beside Jungkook, with his long legs. The child flinches slightly, he’s not used to anyone except Yugyeom being so close to him yet.   
  
Kunpimook kneels besides the child and pulls back his right shirt sleeve.   
  
“It looks real right?” he showcases his arm at the child, showing it from all angles to make sure he catches its whole glory.   
  
Jackson from the bed is biting his lips, he can’t hide his excitement, his awe.   
  
Jungkook stares at it, tries to find any indication that it doesn’t but soon gives up and nods. That’s when the older male presses his elbow inside from both sides, there is a click and suddenly he’s giving his whole arm to the child to hold.   
  
Which might have not been the coolest way to introduce a child to a removable body part. Jungkook falls on his bum, his one eye wide open. The limp still looks like a human, normal limp and Jackson bets that it doesn’t help the child’s mental side of the matter.   
  
“Bam, just… show him the panels!” Jackson’s voice holds some fear and Kunpimook has the decency to look sorry. He reattaches the limp back to his elbow and works his fingers to see if the movements follow what his muscles are commanding.   
  
“Sorry, forgot the age range for a bit” he makes a face and ruffles Jungkook’s hair in an attempt to bring the child back with them. It seems to work.   
  
Shivering bright eye stares back at him.   
  
“My brother has the coolest job ever cause he can make androids! This is his creation!” Kunpimook presses a button somewhere at his wrist and the arm almost immediately loses its normal looking view and turns to look like what it is. A completely robotic arm, made from metal and plastic and cables; lots of cables.   
  
And panels or techno-plates as Mark would call them.   
  
“These” Kunpimook points at the panels on his arm “Are techno-plates that absorb and reflect the light in such ways that it makes it look like a human arm to anyone’s eyes!” he continues as he presses the same button on his arm, putting the plates back in their original places and slowly reviling the normal arm again. “Magic right!” he says excitedly, his whole face radiates.   
  
“Mark would whine ‘It’s science not magic!’ if he was here” Jackson laughs.  
  
“And you have to says it for him because you are like his lawyer or something?” Kunpimook says as he sticks his tongue out to him.   
  
Yugyeom and Tzuyu laugh at how child like these adults are being.   
  
“So… your friends can really save us?!” Jungkook turns to look at Jackson with such hope in his visible eye that makes Jackson feel like a hypocrite, promising things to kids he can’t keep.   
  
“They will sure try. In fact my friend Jinyoung will soon find the cure for cancer!” he says as he claps his hands and gets all three kids excited.   
  
Kunpimook stands up and looks at Jackson sharing his smiles and happiness with these kids for a while longer, from a distance, morose, not really participating, until a nurse comes in and takes the kids away.   
  
“Since when is Jinyoung your friend?” Kunpimook asks as soon as Yugyeom is successfully dragged away from Jackson’s company, as he takes a seat at the chair besides him.   
  
Jackson smiles at him softly.   
  
“Well, he’s Mark’s boyfriend, so he is my friend” he explains and the younger nods. “You died your hair purple, does Mark know?” he stares comically at the locks on the youngster’s head.   
  
“He has no reason to judge or whine, he died his hair red” Kunpimook explains, crossing one leg over his other, placing both his wrists above the knee.   
  
“You’re evil” Jackson laughs “You had planed this all along? Dying his hair red just so you could get away with dying yours whatever color after that?”   
  
Kunpimook smirks.   
  
“I’m a genius” his smirk turns into a smile and proceeds getting more comfortable on his chair.   
  
“How are you?” he asks, concern on his voice.   
  
“Better than this morning. Dr. Youngster said that Dr. Park Jinyoung will find the cure for cancer before my immune system decides to off me. So I guess, I’m not going out from Leukemia” Jackson smiled and waved his head left and right cutely.   
  
“Jackson..” Kunpimook whispers the name as if the word itself is fragile.   
  
“I’m good, I promise” the brunette reaches to take the youngster’s hand in his. Kunpimook gives him his real one and squeezes it.   
  
•  
  
Jaebum has a tumor in his brain. A dangerous one.   
  
“One that will kill you if we don’t do something Jaebum”   
  
With no cure to cancer and the tumor being quite large and spiteful, no removal or radiation treatment was a go. So Jaebum had decided it was his fate anyway, he had come in peace with it.   
  
One day the tumor in his head would kill him; and that was it.   
  
Or so he thought, cause everything went down the hill when he first lays eyes on the handsome young man with the amber skin and the brightest smile in their technological world, that lived three rooms down from his visitation room at the hospital.   
  
Jaebum really didn’t have a chance. He was lost before he could say blueberry.   
  
Jackson, as he had learned from his best friend and top biochemist and neurosurgeon Dr. Park Jinyoung, had no one else in the world except from Mark, Jinyoung’s boyfriend and the Seoul’s National Hospital bio-morphologist, plastic and orthopedic surgeon, whom fate brought ‘em together.   
  
Technically Bambam had adopted the amber skinned stranger while he hanged around his room a lot, back when Bam still hadn’t gotten his cyber arm.   
  
So really no one should be surprised he technically used the younger to get to know the stranger. It was an opportunity gives by whatever fictional god they still believed in, right? It had to be.   
  
The time read five thirty at his wrist watch.  
  
Jaebum remembers biting his lower lip, almost worrying it raw, before he got the courage to walk into Jackson’s room. He tried to look like he was lost, like he didn’t purposely walked in, just to get to meet the stranger boy.   
  
He’s still not sure he managed to appease to his efforts or not. He supposes that’s something only the others would know.   
  
He remembers vividly how Jackson had turn to look at him, while he tried to casually avoid his gaze, look around the room, pretend as natural as he could that he was lost.   
  
“Im Jaebum? What are you doing here?” Bambam calls out to him and his jaw protrudes angrily at the lack of honorifics.   
  
  _Calm down, you need to make a good first impression._    
  
“Bam! If you know him, you should use the honorific’s, I’m sure he’s way older than you!” Jackson hits the youngster’s knee, playfully. Jaebum smiles at the action.   
  
“It’s okay” Jaebum says as he turns towards them, Bambam widens his eyes in shock cause like who is this person and what has he done to the real Im Jaebum.   
  
Jackson seems to smile back at Jaebum and when their eyes meet, no one seems content to look any place else.   
  
Bambam clears his throat after a short while, slightly uncomfortable.   
  
“So..” he begins looking at Jackson before tracing the whole distance back to Jaebum. “What are you doing here?” he asks and tilts his head slightly to the side.   
  
Jaebum is brought back and opens his mouth but nothing comes out. He’s momentarily lost, has forgotten what his excuse was, cause this stranger has stole him breath away.   
  
“He’s clearly lost Bam” Jackson helpfully says. If Jaebum’s intentions were discovered that’s another thing he’ll never know.   
  
“I’m Jackson” the brunette introduces himself, extends his hand to him and smiles, that bright smile of his.   
  
“Jae-” Jaebum chokes on a breathe and his voice cracks before he clears his throat, walks closer and gives his hand out for the handshake. “Jaebum” he gives a good shake and a soft squeeze before they break it.   
  
He feels a tingling were Jackson’s skins was touching his and he wants to touch him again but restrains himself.   
  
“Well, take a seat, Jaebum hyung” the brunette smiles at him and point to the chair across Bambam, at the right side of the bed, where nothing occupies the space, except from a blood serum stand.   
  
Jaebum remembers taking the seat and how comically Bambam’s mouth had opened.   
  
“Close your mouth Bam, flies will fly in, its dangerous” Jaebum jokes and Jackson laughs and Jaebum forgets to breath.   
  
After that, he only remembers Bambam leaving while he and Jackson start talking for the next few hours, because his wristwatch reads nine thirty when he has to leave.   
  
Jackson makes him promise he will visit again tomorrow and Jaebum guesses the rest is history.   
  
•  
  
The way they saw it, it was like, a love tangled in tragedy. They’d be together, till one of them would die. And even then, Jackson would always say, the other would soon follow most probably, so they would never, really be apart.   
  
Jaebum hated the sad tone in Jackson’s voice but he loved everything else. The warmth, the softness, the bright smiles, the love pouring out of him, the fascination for the life he didn’t had the chance to experience.   
  
Jaebum hated the fact that he couldn’t give Jackson anything else, apart from all his love.   
  
No promises for a better tomorrow.   
  
Jackson always told him that his love was more than enough anyway.  
  
And one day Jaebum’s phone rings while they are laying on Jackson’s bed next to each other watching TV and Mark sounds completely swooped out of his feet and excited for his new project, even though Jaebum never put him on speaker and Jackson just laughs, muting the TV.   
  
“So you want me to be a Guinea pig?” Jaebum asks through the line and raises an eyebrow. Jackson grips the older’s free hand and squeezes. Jaebum squeezes back, whom to assure, him or Jackson, he is not sure.   
  
“It’s this new biotechnology that will be revolutionary Jaebum! If only you can be a sweetheart and help out, cause like who’s a good friend to his best friend’s boyfriend, if not you!” Marks voice is still quite loud and Jaebum catches Jackson worrying his lower lip.   
  
“Mark...You can’t really believ-” Jaebum tries to cut the conversation short.   
  
“I’ll be there through every second and transition. Jaebum if this works you can say goodbye to your tumor! Not only it will minimize it but it will kill it and remove it when it seems it’s fit. Plus after that you will have extra storage in learning new things instantly isn’t that insane?!” Mark is still quite excited, like a child whom their mother bought them frenzy pops for the very first time.   
  
Jaebum sighs deeply and gets of the bed in the middle of Marks speech. He needs to walk this around, to digest. Jackson remains on the bed, he understand his boyfriend needs the space right that moment.   
  
“ [b] IF [/b], this works Mark” Jaebum says walking closer to the window. He looks outside, to a world that he hadn’t had the chance to walk with Jackson yet.   
  
“Yeah” Mark’s voice is small now, like if in doubt. “So will you do it? If it’s a success, we will have defeated another form of cancer Jaebum. You will be the break through to a better world. What do you have to lose anyway?” the scientist continues. Jaebum can imagine him looking down at his notes while he doodles boxes on the paper, waiting for his replies.   
  
A habit the older developed while awaiting answers from Jinyoung while on the phone.   
  
“Jackson” he whispers as he looks back at his boyfriend on the bed. Small and quiet, waiting patiently for Jaebum to make his decision and walk back to his company. Jaebum feels a small part of hate on Mark’s attempt to guilt trip him, for the greater good. He feels a big part of him, hating Mark, cause it’s working.   
  
“Excuse me, what was that? I didn’t catch it” Mark says in alarm and Jaebum’s lips twitch slightly.   
  
“Nothing… I’ll do it” he answers as his eyes meet Jackson’s and never break contact.   
  
•  
  
It’s around December, Jackson is surrounded by his usual group of enthusiasm as they share stories and jokes. It’s near Christmas and the only present he can give his small friends is his energy for happiness, he is not exactly allowed to get out of his room much, let alone go shopping in the city.   
  
Truthfully he send Jaebum to buy each kid something different but he is not sure the older would chose the right things. He was slightly on edge waiting for a video call, asking advice what to get Jungkook at any moment.   
  
But to be fair, Jackson himself was not sure what to get Jungkook to begin with, he had to try and pry informations off Yugyeom in an attempt to get anything close to what the child might want.   
  
Jungkook was actually still pretty closed up towards him, even though he had really opened up in their past few months of frequent visits to his room for play time.   
  
“-and that’s how the big misunderstood dragon, saved the kingdom and was knighted by the King!” Jackson finishes his tale. Tzuyu clapping happily, while Yugyeom smiles and Jungkook scoffs.   
  
“Dragons suppose to be mean” the grumpy child exclaims, hands crossed over his chest. Tzuyu turns her head towards him so fast, Jackson is scared she might break her neck.   
  
“Well this one wasn’t!” she says, defending the imaginary animal.   
  
“Well dragons definitely can’t be knighted!!” Jungkook scoffs again and turns his head sideways towards Yugyeom. A habit, Jackson notes, he uses when he wants to have the last word, as if the conversation is over.   
  
Jackson himself dares to chuckle, he finds their little argument cute.   
  
“Why can’t you stop being so mean for once! You are meaner than any dragon!” Tzuyu huffs at him and scoots closer to Jackson, as if wanting to show Jungkook he is beneath her.   
  
Jackson sees, the words hurt the boy, even if he won’t admit them. Jungkook has made this decision of being the cool, indifferent boy and he’s sticking with it, even if it doesn’t exactly work in his favor, half of the time.   
  
“Now, now Tzuyu, take that back. Jungkook is entitled to his opinion as it is his” Jackson smiles at them and pats the small girls back in encouragement.   
  
The girl huffs and puffs her cheek and refuses to look at the boy with the black hair. Yugyeom laughs at her reactions.   
  
“Ah! Tzuyu ah is cute like that” the taller of the three children laughs, pointing at the girls puffy cheeks. Jungkook dares to steal a look. Jackson notes how he blushes at the girl’s antics.   
  
“I’m sorry” comes a soft voice but it’s not Tzuyu who speaks. Jungkook scratches the back of his head, he’s gazing hard at the duvet, briefly stealing shy glances up at Tzuyu. The girl looks at him with wide eyes before she scoots closer to him and hugs him.   
  
“Awwww!” Jackson and Yugyeom say in unison when Jungkook hugs back, cheeks blazing red.   
  
The hug doesn’t hold for long before Tzuyu jumps excited with the next request for a story tale.   
  
“Seunnie oppa, tell us about the first time you met Bummie oppa! Tells when you knew he was the one!” the little girl jumps excitedly up and down the bed and giggles.   
  
Yugyeom groans in disapproval but Jungkook seems interested in hearing this tale.   
  
That’s when his phone rings and a small holographic video opens. The name written in white italics on the holographic screen is not the one he’s been expecting however and his smile falls when the window opens to reveal a quite stressed looking Mark.   
  
“Hey Jacks, it’s Mark” the redhead says from what seems like his office “but you know that already, I don’t know why I even introduce myself, I mean, you have saved me in your contacts, or so would someone expect after so many years of friendship. I mean we are technically brothers” he mumbles away and successes on getting Jackson on edge.   
  
He puts the video call in a pause and pushes the screen to the side as he turns back to the kids still on his bed.   
  
“I’m really sorry guys but that story will have to wait for a bit” he says to the children and Tzuyu physically whines, hitting Yugyeom on his left shoulder and whispering something along the lines of  _hoodoo_   , which Jackson is not exactly sure what it means.   
  
“Are you going to be okay, alone?” there is a voice of reason and Jackson is not really weird out it comes from Jungkook, he was half expecting it anyway.   
  
“Everything’s fine, Mark is probably stress with work but alas, adults need to talk alone” he smiles at all of them and hugs Tzuyu tightly when she goes in for a long one.   
  
It has been her signature hug every time they need to part ways and Jackson is no fool to take that away from her. He picks her up and gets them off the bed as he walks the other two to the door, before placing her down, besides Jungkook.   
  
“Go play in the garden, but be careful” he says ruffling all their hair. Tzuyu and Yugyeom laugh at friendly action while Jungkook groans but smiles nonetheless.   
  
They bid him goodbye and continue to wave at him until they turn behind the corner leading straight to the garden. Jackson’s smile falls instantly as the sight of any children is gone and he closes the door.   
  
He walks to his bed and reaches for the screen, unpauses the call and walks towards the window of his room, to be able to keep an eye on the youngster’s, just to be sure they are being careful.   
  
“You paused me?” Mark looks incredulously at him.   
  
“I had children present, you were having a mental breakdown” Jackson rolls his eyes at him. “What has you this stressed?” he asks as he takes a seat on the window sill.   
  
Mark pauses and stares at the camera for a while too long and Jackson checks to see if maybe the call has been frozen. It hadn’t.  
  
“Mark” Jackson raises both his eyebrows, there is a slight mocking tone in his voice.  
  
“There is no easy way to say this” Mark takes a deep breathe and Jackson looks at the window briefly, checking on the kids.   
  
Tzuyu is collecting flowers which will probably try to sneak into Jackson’s room again. There is a ghost of a smile on his lips.   
  
“There’s been a malfunction with Jaebum’s chip” Mark’s words suddenly cut in him deeper than any treatment he ever had before. He forgets how to breathe. His head turns towards the screen faster than humanly possible.   
  
“I need you.. we need to...” Mark eats his words, his previous stress coming back full force. “Look, I’ll be by your room in a couple of hours” he says and Jackson only then realizes the other was moving around his office all this time, probably collecting things he need to take with him.   
  
There is panic rising in Jackson’s chest and he doesn’t like the way Mark can’t even tell him what they need to do, as if what happened to Jaebum is irreversible.   
  
Jaebum’s chip treatment was going very good for all the months he was on the project. The tumor was decreasing just like Mark had said and Jaebum had the opportunity to learn all these new skills like b-boying and acrobatics and even cooking.   
  
The brunette briefly laughs at the fond memory of a time Jaebum almost burn down the small electric kitchen in Jackson’s room, before the chip was impended in his brain.   
  
He briefly wish they could go back to that time.   
  
•  
  
There is a knock on his door before Mark enters. He breaks into a soft smile when he sees Jackson but it disappears quickly after that, in anxious air.   
  
Jackson feels sad they get to meet again under such circumstances, it feel like eons since the last time he saw Mark. His best friend, his brother.   
  
“Hey Jacks” the older hesitates but enters the holding his folder case. “I don’t want you to panic over this okay?” he says and Jackson scoffs because his call had managed to do exactly that.  
  
For a genius, Mark should go take some seminars on how to talk to people.   
  
“What’s wrong with Jaebum? Is he okay? Is this… thing, killing him faster?” he cuts right into their main course because really, it took Mark three hours to get there. Three hours of Jackson being left alone with his thoughts.   
  
Thoughts about what is wrong with his boyfriend. Jackson should be pissed with Mark and his poor social skills. Where was Jinyoung and his smooth talk when you needed him. Probably close to finding the cure for cancer.   
  
“No, no, god no… Everything is okay, he’s fine Jackson, that is not what’s happening” Mark says as he walks closer to the bed and the brunette can see on his features that he made the older feel like an asshole.   
  
Well… good. Jackson allows himself to be petty for once.   
  
“You  _ **said**_   the chip malfunctioned!” he grabs onto the olders robe, he feels dizzy suddenly.   
  
If it’s not killing him, then what is the problem?  
  
“It did. It…It got a virus, you see” Mark says and Jackson’s jaw tightens “and it causes Jaebum to do things he’d otherwise wouldn’t. Moral things” he explains more further.   
  
“Then remove it” Jackson says. It’s really not that hard to find a solution.   
  
“No Jacks, it’s not that easy. If I remove it now, Jaebum will die...” Mark shakes his head negatively as he is disconcertingly calm.   
  
Where was this calmness when Jackson needed it three hours ago.   
  
“Then what?” You’ll just leave him there, with a virus in his brain?” There is a sniffle.  
  
“That’s why I’m here” Mark comes closer, he sets his case on the floor and sits on a small surface on the bed. As if afraid to take a normal seat. “I developed a program, which will swipe the chip clean, will allow it to continue it’s starter purpose as well, just like it was created to do and then it will shut down with no further harm to the brain.” Mark explains slowly as he plays with the corner of his lab coat, his eyes trained on his fingers. “Eventually it will dissolve from the leukocytes” he completes his sentence as shy eyes are searching for Jackson’s.   
  
So much guilt present in them.   
  
“He will be completely cured?” Jackson dares to ask as he swallows a sob. Eyes full with tears.   
  
“Yes” Mark still searches the youngster’s eyes for something only he knows.   
  
“They why do you need my help?” Jackson doesn’t understand “Why don’t you do it now as we speak? Why aren’t you helping him?” there is anger in his tone as he grips on his blanket, knuckles white from the power his putting into it.   
  
“I can’t do it now, Jaebum” Mark pauses, he takes his eyes far away from Jackson’s “He doesn’t want to lose his memories of you, so he stubbornly refuses the treatment and I can’t over right his decisions” the guilt is back and Jackson stares bluntly at him.   
  
“He will lose all my memories?” the brunette laughs, but the is no humor in it.   
  
“He will lose his memory completely. The clean up will swipe his whole brain clean. All memories, all skills, everything. Lost.” Mark pauses again, Jackson is starting to wonder if this gets the older some type of satisfaction.   
  
He tries not to think like that. He knows Mark, he’s not that kind of person.   
  
“The virus is too strong, so it’s like a reset button… I can’t make it work otherwise” Mark admits and shuts his eyes tightly, as if refusing to let himself cry because he doesn’t deserve it.   
  
Jackson want to jibe at him  _Oh, the great genius can’t make it work otherwise?_ but that gets out of the borders of petty to the land of hatred and Jackson doesn’t hate Mark.   
  
He just hates fate.   
  
“I understand” the brunette explains, throat dry, feeling like he has swallowed broken glass. “Still, I don’t understand, where do you need my help?” his lips quiver, his hands are shaking.   
  
“It’s a four sentence command” Mark starts, his gaze is back at Jackson. “To activate the program. I thought you would like to be the one to make that decision, if it ever comes to that...” Mark explains as if Jackson should be pleased to be the one to terminate his boyfriends memories.   
  
He wants to laugh hard and long.   
  
Poor Mark, being a pawn to fates hands.   
  
Jackson nods nonetheless. He sniffles and wipes his tears on the back of his hands. When he looks again at Mark there is determination in him.   
  
Mark is scared of this Jackson. This Jackson with the dull eyes, like someone –him-, stole his soul.   
  
“What are the sentences?” this stranger in front of him asks. Mark is afraid for Jackson.  
  
“That’s for you to decide.” Mark bites his lower lip and turns his gaze on his lab coat again. “Only you will know them and it will be only your voice that can activate them. You can even activate them in different time periods.” He gets into more details again and he can see, the younger nodding from his peripheral view. “Just as soon as the last sentence is activated, there’s no going back” he lets out a shaking breath.   
  
“So I will record them now and then you will download the program into his brain together with the virus?” the brunette goes over the plan, looking down at his hands too.  
  
“Exactly” Mark doesn’t dare look up.   
  
“What if the virus decides to attack? Have you placed any kind of chromatic-antivirus on it, so it would reflect ts intentions and keep it away?” Jackson jibes at him this time, because a well thought antivirus would be thoughtful in the first place.   
  
“Wow Jackson” Mark trails his eyes back the youngster’s face, genuinely impressed. “I didn’t know you are a biotechnology genius” there is no mock in his voice, just amazement.  
  
“No” the brunette lets out a dry laugh “Just a bio mechanic with a poor excuse for an immune system and leukemia that stopped me from ever leaving this room after I was committed.”   
  
Mark’s throat feels dry too.   
  
“I’ll add it up to the reboot before launching it” he says as he’s reaching for his case, opens it and gets a memory card out, handing it to Jackson. It will be where he needs to record. “I bet in another life, you’re happier than you are now” he says suddenly as if that should make Jackson feel better.   
  
“I’m happy here too” Jackson admits with a sad smile appearing on his lips. “Sure I don’t run around the world or help people but I have Jaebum and friends like family.” the words are cutting deep into Mark, the guilt is doubled.   
  
“Here is good too” Jackson lifts his head and their eyes meet, Jackson that loves life and everything pure in it is there, with him. “How is Jinyoung by the way?” its a poor attempt at casual small talk but Mark will take the bait if only to lift any type of left over spirits up.   
  
“Oh, you know him” Mark makes a motion with his hand “He’s closer on curing cancer”   
  
Jackson laughs. His bright, high pitched, full of life, laugh and Mark smiles.   
  
Life is funny sometimes.   
  
“I’ll let you record, I’m going to grab a cup of coffee from the cafeteria, I’ll be right back” he says closing his case and standing up.   
  
Jackson nods, before yelling after him, slightly after he has walked out the door “Try not to get lost again”.   
  
•  
  
The first sentence drops one day Jaebum had just come back to Jackson’s room with some extra packs of morphine.  
  
More than they ever should have, to call extra.   
  
Jaebum couldn’t exactly buy them, not with cash, not with their friends influence, not with anything. Morphine packs where distributed by law and if the hospital said no, then by law, extra packs were a crime.   
  
Jackson was allowed one packet of morphine daily. Even if it’s not enough because his immune system doesn’t ever give him a break, more than a packet of morphine was never a choice.   
  
The packets are obviously stolen and a Jaebum with clear mind would never have even attempted such a move.   
  
Jackson smiles at him and says “Jaebum, I like you” .  
  
Jaebum smiles back “I like you too babe” he leans forward and pecks the latter’s naturally pink lips.   
There is a small beeping sound.   
  
“Did you hear that?” Jaebum asks.   
  
Jackson just shakes his head in a negative manner, his smile is sad.   
  
•  
  
The second sentence come months later.   
  
Jaebum has been cooped into Mark’s lab for some tests that seem to take forever.   
  
He had decided to video call Jackson because if they can’t touch then the least they could do was see each other.   
  
God he missed him so much.   
  
Jackson seems worn out, like he didn’t have a particularly good night of sleep. There’s some dried blood on the pillow behind Jackson’s figure and Jaebum clenches his fists. Jaw protrudes.  
  
“I’ll call Jinyoung and tell him to hurry the fuck up!” Jaebum’s tone is harsh.   
  
“We both know it’s not his fault Bummie, let him be, he’s so close anyway, you’ll only break his concentration and thereof his strike” Jackson tries to reason with the older.   
  
Jaebum knows his boyfriend is right but he’s boiling with anger. He lets out a loud groan and swings his arm on the desk he’s sitting at -Mark’s desk- and throws everything that’s on it down.   
  
Jaebum is know for a short temper but explosions like that have never happened before. That seemed near like a tantrum. He is ready to break a bio-hand frame that’s on the desk, _willingly_ , when Jackson speaks up.   
  
“Jaebum, I’m lonely”  
  
There is a small beeping sound.   
  
“Did you hear that?” Jaebum stops completely and turns back to the screen, locking eyes with Jackson.   
  
“Mm? No, I heard nothing” Jackson shakes his head left and right.   
  
“It must have been my idea. Anyway, you want me to come back? To keep you company” the older places the item back down slowly as he had no idea how it ended up in his hands to begin with, let alone knowing what he’d do with it.   
  
“Mm? No, this enough” Jackson gives the older a sad smile “You need to finish your testings anyway”.   
  
Jaebum huffs and crosses his arms before his chest, leaning back to the chair unsatisfied “Yeah I do” he admits and rolls his eyes.   
  
•  
  
The third sentence happened in Jackson’s room.   
  
Jaebum was in a fit of rage, what for no one knows and no one will ever learn. Maybe it was Jackson’s latest screen reports.   
  
Jackson was trying to calm him down and reassure him that everything would be alright but the brunette’s calmness only seemed to enrage the older more. Between them, packages of morphine on the floor and a table.   
  
The table did nothing to stop the rage though.  
  
A step on a morphine package away. A step on a morphine package forward and Jackson’s back met the wall, abruptly. Jaebum’s arm pressing intensively on Jackson’s throat.   
  
The younger of the two gasp, eyes wide. Hands flailing, trying to grab and shove Jaebum off of him. There is fear in his eyes. Fear he never wanted to experience towards the one person he loved the most in this world.   
  
Jaebum breaks through for a millisecond, backs up slightly, air travels faster than light in Jackson’s lungs, they feel like burning. He has no time to react, he feels his right cheek burning too. He stares at Jaebum.   
  
He got back handed and it hurts like hell.   
  
He’s on the floor tears in his eyes, blood in his mouth but that has nothing to do with Jaebum. His hands are trembling, he looks back at the older, only pain and sadness in his gaze.   
  
“Jaebum, I love you” he chokes out, his throat still burns.   
  
There is a small beeping sound.   
  
“Jacks did you hear that?” Jaebum has his back turned on the younger. He looks left and right, trying to find where the sound is coming from.   
  
It stops.   
  
“Mm? No, you must have imagined it” he laughs brokenly from the floor.   
  
Jaebum turns around in search for the crooked sound of his lover and drops to his knees besides him, he can’t believe his eyes, the room is a mess.   
  
“Jackson! Are you okay? Who did this? I swear when I find them--” the older bombards him with questions and worry.   
  
“I’m fine, I just tripped on the packages of morphine and fell, you know how clumsy I am” Jackson tries to laugh it off, pointing at the mess behind him. He wishes to whatever fictional entity they have left to believe in that the older won’t read to much into it.   
  
The older seems to believe him, not questioning the purple bruises forming around Jackson’s neck or the red mark on his cheek.   
  
_What a relief_   Jackson thinks.   
  
•  
  
The fourth and last sentence comes a day after they’ve made love. Jackson was feeling strong and healthy and his heart was swelling around the warmth of his lover. Jaebum would never say no to him, he loves him too much. Thank god for locks and sound proof walls at the hospital, or else they might have traumatized a patient or two.   
  
The episodes of rage and immoral decisions were on a come and go basis a lot more frequently and Jackson felt it was time to set Jaebum free, from this tortures life.   
  
They were in the month of April and Jackson’s duvet had been changed to thin blankets to keep him warm during the night but was not enough to help keep warmth on a naked body. So after they cleaned up, each had gotten into their clothes and Jaebum was kind enough to unlock the door not to raise any suspicions even though he was sure, if not all, the majority of the nurses new, what was happening.  
  
“Jaebum” Jackson starts but stops almost instantly. He takes his time to stare at the male in front of him as he smiles to him. Face as handsome as ever, smile as bright as the sun, the in his eyes for him only.   
  
What is it Jacks?” Jaebum comes closer and intertwines their hands.   
  
That day, had been the longest Jaebum had stayed himself for. More than ever before in these past few months. Jackson’s in tears that he refuses to let them fall. Everything is a blur but he prefers it that way. Maybe it’s better like that.   
  
“Jacks what’s wrong?” Jaebum’s voice instantly rises with worry, he comes closer, his face conveying the feeling of panic “Talk to me baby where does it hurt?”   
  
Jackson takes a deep breath and Jaebum is hanging from his lips.  
  
“Jaebum, I miss you” Jackson says and some of his tears manage to fall.   
  
“What are you talking about, baby, I’m right here” Jaebum’s panic is rising.   
  
There is a small beeping sound.   
  
Jaebum turns to look behind him. “Do you hear that?”   
  
The beeping stops.   
  
He turns back around, hands unfold and surprise take over features that were covered by worry moments ago. He’s confused.   
  
“Ah, excuse me!” Jaebum stands up and backs away from the bed. “Who are you?” he asks and Jackson breaks down. Jaebum panics all over again but for different reasons.   
  
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you? Hey are you okay?” Jaebum tries to help the stranger, not really knowing how.   
  
Jackson nods and tries to get the other male to leave his room, this Jaebum doesn’t belong to him, or with him.   
  
This Jaebum is free.   
  
And this Jaebum is pulled out of the room from nurses, quite forcefully, as they rush in, the stranger seems to be hyperventilating.   
  
He is found by a tall redhead with a big nose. He introduces himself as Mark and he says they are old friends that can explain everything to him. Or at least, whatever Jackson hasn’t forbidden him to talk about.   
  
This Jaebum was free after all.   
  
•  
  
It’s a sunny April Sunday, a year later.   
  
Jackson enjoys the warmth of the weather, he has come to visit the children; sitting on a bench in the garden, as Yugyeom, Jungkook and Tzuyu run around, playing.   
  
Jinyoung came through with the cure for cancer, he was really close after all. _'So close I can taste it'_   he remembers him informing him one week prior to announcing his amazing research results publicly.   
  
The first one given the cure was Jackson. Their line of thought was that the poor soul had already his immune system attacking him, curing at least his form of cancer was the least the hospital could do for him.   
  
The government agreed but mostly because if Jackson ended up dying they could just pretend that it wasn’t their fault; the poor man would die eventually anyway.   
  
None of his family and friends were actually happy with their logic but no one said anything, since the result of a cancer-free Jackson was approved anyway.   
  
It was weeks later that Mark suggested to the younger, now blonde male with some of Bambam’s help (as a celebration of him being ½ cured), to implant a chip in him to ‘straighten’ up his immune system.   
  
“Technically it will work as a pacemaker worked back in the day, only it will pace your immune system instead of your heart” Mark was kind enough to explain, bright smile and hopeful eyes.   
  
“You’ll get a chrome antivirus installed before you implant that thing this time around right?” Jackson half joked.   
  
Mark didn’t find it funny, he was so apologetic about the whole Jaebum ordeal. Still so guilty. He didn’t mean for it to go wrong. He sadly smiled to the latter and nod his head.   
  
“Yeah I’ll install before implant”   
  
Jackson knew, he was just trying to tease the older.  
  
“You’ll need to visit me monthly though, to keep in touch with it, so to speak” Mark exclaims in a hurried manner as if he doesn’t say it, the opportunity will be lost.   
  
“Keep in touch with me, you mean” Jackson corrects him, seeing through his facade “I’m not running away from you, Mark” he smiles “You guys still my closest thing to a family”   
  
“I wasn’t worried you would run away, Jacks” Mark frowns “Should I be?”   
  
“Nah” Jackson smiles wider and Mark follows him, even if a little apprehensive.  
  
So he’s sitting there, a sunny April Sunday.   
  
“Are you photosynthesizing?” comes a voice.   
  
Jackson knows the voice very well, he’d recognize it anywhere. He almost snaps his neck from the force he uses to look towards the owner of it.   
  
“Hey, can I sit here?” the brunette standing in front and a little to the left of Jackson asks. Jackson can only nod.   
  
“Its nice here, I wanted to bring you a lot of times” the male says as he takes the seat right beside Jackson.   
  
“B..bring me?” Jackson trembles, he must have heard wrong.   
  
“It’s quiet and all the green and the flowers, I thought you’d love it. You always seemed to love nature, even if you just experienced it through the TV” the older smiles.   
  
A smile as bright and warm as the sun.   
  
“J-jaebum...” Jackson is hesitant, he doesn’t want to hear those words again.   
  
_Excuse me, who are you?_  
  
The older intertwines their fingers. His right hand with Jackson’s left and he smiles brighter than before.   
  
Now both cured from their diseases.   
  
“Jackson, I missed you”   
  
Now in a love untangled from tragedy.  
  
“Oh my god, Jaebum!”   
  
Now together again.   
  
Maybe fate, was not such a bitch after all.   
  
•  
  
“Appa! Please tell us again on how you met Seunnie appa!” Tzuyu yells excitedly as Jackson tacks her in bed. Somewhere on the left of her bed Yugyeom groans.   
  
“No, I want to hear for dragons and warriors for once, read us the amazing dragon Jaebum appa!” Yugyeom whines instead.   
  
Jaebum and Jackson chuckle at the kids demands, as each kiss their individual kid goodnight, before Jackson scoots over to Jungkook’s bed.   
  
“And what does this little prince want to listen to as a bed time story?” Jackson smiles brightly at the kid, who shyly smiles back at him, his mushroom haircut long gone and his beautiful face revealed, burn marks and all.   
  
“How prince Jaebum hyung defeated the amnesia dragon and saved found his way back to his one true love prince Jackson hyung” Jungkook says excitedly after a second of thinking how to appease to all three of their small requests.   
  
Tzuyu from her bed squeals excitedly. “Jungkook oppa is the best!” she chirps and Jungkook blushes, huffs and looks the other way, trying to seem indifferent.   
  
Jaebum sighs from his place on Yugyeom’s bed. He is not one to like repeating their life story as Jackson is. Then again Jackson would probably do anything for these kids. Their kids.   
  
He sits a little bit more comfortable on the floor, besides Yugyeom’s bed and starts playing with his curly mop of hair. At least tonight the story gets to be a bit different, he will have to thank Jungkook, for that, later.   
  
Maybe getting him a new game for their game console.   
  
“It all started when Jinyoung, Jaebum appa’s best friend, hit me behind the head with a tennis ball, because I was feeling nostalgic about something I couldn’t put my finger on” Jaebum starts.   
  
“Who’s Jinyoung, appa?” Tzuyu asks, trying to correct Jaebum without really correcting him. Even at her age, she was a clever little fox.   
  
“Jinyoung was prince Jaebum’s servant!” Jackson intervenes.   
  
There is loud laughter coming from Yugyeom “If Jinyoung hyung hears you say that you are screwed appa!” the child mocks Jackson but the blonde can only smile.   
  
He has spoiled the kids too much.   
  
“Right. And he hit prince Jaebum with a rock! Because he couldn’t remember what he felt nostalgic about” Jaebum catches on and tries to save the tale, from total destruction, if only to appease to his little princess.   
  
“Was he nostalgic about prince Jackson, appa?” Tzuyu continues helping him with the story telling.   
  
“Yes” Jaebum smiles brightly “But he did not remember that, because the bad dragon of amnesia had put a spell on him”   
  
“Oh no!” Tzuyu squeals and hides under her sheets. Its mid summer and even though neither Yugyeom or Jungkook want sheets because ‘it’s so hot we’re gonna die in our sleep’, Tzuyu can’t sleep without something covering her.   
  
Jaebum nods as he continues to explore this new story of mixed truth and fiction together with his family.   
  


**Author's Note:**

> I'm just immensly proud I actually finished this xD   
> It was already pre-written to be fair but it was quite unpolished, i need to fix and rewrite a lot of parts   
> tried to stay in past tense but im pretty sure i failed, again lel (maybe one day)   
> hope i didnt damage you peeps a lot


End file.
